


A Much Needed Conversation

by malecwrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Caring, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Post-War, They both help each other cope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24373564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecwrites/pseuds/malecwrites
Summary: Hermione and Ron talk about their feelings. Set a long time after the War. They are both still struggling to process it, but at least they have each other.
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	A Much Needed Conversation

Awkward silence consumed the room, as it had for the past half an hour. Neither of them moved from their positions, neither of them wanting to be the first to confront the uncomfortable atmosphere. Finally the pressure cracked and the red head, cleared his throat as he attempted to clear the air.

“So… What are you reading about?” The words were sounded out slow and laboriously. Obviously he was striving to be tentative and for a minute her resolve was weakened. Then she remembered how he had behaved and her shoulders stiffened.

Slamming her book onto the table and watching it close shut with a thump, Hermione sighed loudly. Rolling her eyes and rubbing her temples, she avoided the eyes of the man sat opposite. Focused instead on tracing the pattern of their green and white checked tablecloth with her fingertip.

“C’mon Mi, you’re not still mad are you?” His voice was soft and wavered with a hint of nervousness. Hermione fixed her glare towards him.

“Yes Ronald, I’m still mad.”

Ron gulped and slumped into his chair in defeat as she turned away from him again. Brushing the fingers - previously occupied on the tablecloth - through her knotted hair, Hermione felt the tension rising and her jaw set with irritation.

He had been badgering her all day, constantly needing her help and asking for advice over his job. _It’s your career Ronald, not mine,_ she had thought multiple times during the day. Then he had capped it off by calling her a know-it-all for correcting his grammar on the report that he had _asked_ for her to proofread. It was a small annoyance and Hermione could look past these things most of the time. However, today, she was feeling vulnerable and her patience had been wearing thin.

“Look Love, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, it was meant to be a joke. I’m stupid and dumb sometimes but I would never want to hurt you.” She knew he was right and Hermione found his eyes again, noting they were clouded with unshed tears. He reached out his palm from across the table, waiting for her hand to fit with his.

Hermione complied, face crumbling in the process. Ron stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, a calming gesture. Her breathing slowed, returning back to its regular pace.

“I’m sorry for being so sensitive,” She started with a frown. “It’s just… It’s the anniversary today.”

“I know.” He replied in a hoarse whisper, his thumb never stopping the soothing sweeping motions over her skin. Hermione gripped onto him tighter, craving the comfort of him. “I know we’ve talked about it all over and over again, but you know I’ll always listen to you if you want to say it all again, don’t you Mi? I’m here, she can’t hurt you. He’s gone for real, no one is going to get us.”

“I just…I believe we are healed from it all and then the anniversary comes back around and reopens all the old wounds.” There was a lump forming in her throat and she faltered. He nodded reassuringly, encouraging her to carry on when ready. “What they did Ron… I thought that once everything was over it would all be normal and my life would be the same as it used to. I thought that we would be happy again, that we would be victorious and proud. I never thought we would be left broken.”

“Whenever I think about the War I’m empty.” Ron said after a minute of quiet contemplation. Hermione’s eyes widened, they had exhausted the topic of the War and she had believed there had been no more to say on it, repeating old feelings over and over. This confession was something he had never admitted to her before. He noticed her expression and tried to explain.

“It’s something that I started to notice a while ago. I had strong emotions of joy when we won and then as the years passed and I realised how little it had changed in the long-run. We were left with countless scars and the unaffected people went back to normal and forgot the reality of what we had been through. My joy, of course, turned to sorrow.” He paused to breathe, looking deep into her gaze.

“And we weren’t even offered any counselling. We’ve helped each other by talking. I mean, God knows how I would’ve coped without you. But there’s only so many times you can surface the memories without fully accepting them, without grieving for what we lost. At some point my brain stopped and pushed it all down, and now,” Ron trailed off. Hermione realised that the lump in her throat was likely mirrored in his own.

“It’s okay Ron. I agree, we were young, we didn’t know the best ways in which to support the other.”

“That might be true Mi, but I’m glad we tried.”

“The fact that I had to put up with your moaning about schoolwork, all those years ago, wasn’t a massive clue into how much I would have done for you?” She paired her words with a teasing smile, trying to ease the sadness in their hearts.

“Don’t start that, your incessant chatter about homework put an end to the enjoyment of procrastination! Not only for me, but for the entire Gryffindor house!” He retorted back with a chuckle. Hermione giggled delicately and then bit her lip.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve wished it was me that Bellatrix tortured.” The simple, blunt statement from Ron caught Hermione off guard for the second time during their conversation.

A scene flashed in front of her, it was Ron lying on the floor. Screams for help rushed into her ears whilst the debilitating pain rode through his body in waves, each one worse than the last. Hermione tried to run to him, to help, but she was restrained. She couldn’t fight the magic that bound her frame. She began to cry.

“I’m sorry love, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I wasn’t thinking when I said her name.” The gentle tone of his voice cut through the screams and she was brought back into reality.

“I didn’t cry at Bellatrix’s name Ron, I cried because I know how much I would’ve hated it if I were helpless and that were you on the floor. Either way it was a traumatic experience and something that is going to take more than a few years to process.”

“I’ll be here every step of the way.”

“As I will be for you.” His thumb was still caressing her hand, she shifted her other hand to place it on top of their intertwined fingers.

Sharing the silence once again, Hermione noted that this time it was comforting and pleasant. She felt a flutter in her chest as she studied the man who knew all of her. It was an incredibly lucky thing, to have a person who understood. They would attempt to carry each other’s burdens until everything became light enough to leave behind. He was the one she could rely on.


End file.
